Let Me Sing You Asleep
by thebrightside1377
Summary: A lighting blot flashed across the sky followed right after by a deafening crack of thunder. Republic City hadn't seen a storm like this in quite a while. The Avatar's thoughts were abruptly interrupted as she heard a blood-curdling scream crescendo through the darkness and carry over a crack of thunder. Her heart sank.


My first Legend of Korra fanfic; this was a lot of fun to write.

I hope you enjoy!

A lighting blot flashed across the sky followed right after by a deafening crack of thunder. Republic City hadn't seen a storm like this in quite a while. Rain poured down the open windowpane and the droplets slowly dripped together to form a puddle on the darkly stained wooden ledge. The hazy mixture of the warm spring night and cool rain wafted through the open window and into the Avatar's bedroom.

Korra's figure was illuminated by a bed-side lamp; her torso propped up by pillows and leaned against the head board. The light was only bright enough to provide her with just the right amount of light for her to read the book in front of her. Besides the persistent storm, only the slight sound of pages being turned could be heard throughout the entire island.

Korra loved the rain. Water, after all, was her natural element. She rarely got to experience the wonder that was a thunderstorm since she lived her whole life training in the South Pole. _It is a refreshing change of pace_, she decided, _instead of all the snowstorms_.

Tonight was unlike any other night; she could feel it. She suspected that it had something to do with being the Avatar, being able to feel a spiritual connection to all the elements as it rained. The _water_ would fall from the sky as the _earth_ soaked up the amount needed to survive as the _lightening_ struck the sky and the _winds_ pushed and pulled the atmosphere. She felt so awake; so _alive_. There was no way she would be able to sleep tonight.

She turned another page in her book; a romance novel, her _guilty _pleasure. She couldn't help but miss her handsome firebender as she read on about the character's secret love affair. It was so daring, thrilling, maybe even intoxicating as she read and fantasized what it would be like for Mako to do those kind of things to _her_. I shiver ran down her spine as she read something _particurally_ erotic. _What would it be like,_ she wondered.

Her thoughts and fantasies were abruptly interrupted as she heard a blood-curdling scream crescendo through the darkness and carry over a crack of thunder.

She, now, was sitting erect with her book in her lap and with her ears instantaneously perked up.

As the scream echoed throughout the island, she was able to decipher that it was, indeed, a male voice, and, if she had to guess, it was coming from the men's dormitory.

_Mako,_ she thought, as the scream ripped through her heart.

As Mako's scream subsided, Korra immediately slammed down her book on her bed and scrambled out from underneath the covers. She ran as fast as her bare feet could carry her, not bothering to put on her boots and parka. She decided that the fastest way was a direct route across the main foyer near the temple Aang, her past life, built.

When she arrived at the men's dormitories, Korra quickly spun and bent the water off of her frame before she rand down the hall and tried to decipher which room was Mako's. She had never been over here before; she never really had a purpose to.

She heard some panting and gasping, above her own, behind one of the doors. She hoped and prayed to the Spirits that it was Mako; not Bolin with one of his fangirls or _worse_.

Despite her concern for her own mental stability, she reached for the latch and threw open the door.

Much to her relief, and dismay, she found Mako in a complete state of desperation. He was sitting upright tangled up in his bed sheets with his comforter discarded on the floor; his right hand was clutching his chest like he was gasping of air, but couldn't fill his lungs; his left hand was raking through and grabbing at his disheveled hair as if he was trying to make sense of all that had just happened; his face, oh_ spirits_, his face was drained of all color, a look of pure and utter terror and uneasiness etched across his handsome features.

It took him a few minutes to notice he was in the presence of the Avatar; in fact, he hadn't noticed her until she took a couple cautious steps into his room.

As soon as he noticed, he locked eyes with her, and she stopped dead in her tracks. He let his arms fall to his sides to brace himself, and so he could lean on his arms for support. He broke eye contact as he bowed his head and took several deep, calming breaths, trying to force the images that he had just witnessed out of his head.

When he calmed down some, he slowly brought his head back up to meet Korra's worried gaze. He saw that she was busying herself by absent-mindedly playing with the bow on her nightshirt as she waited for the right time to approach him.

Mako searched her eyes for some sort of comfort. _She came for_ _me_, he thought to himself. _I am so lucky to have her. _His mind then flooded back to what had startled him so in the dead of night, and his chest tightened.

Korra saw Mako's whole demeanor change from terrified, to wonder, to pure and utter desperation in less than thirty seconds.

Mako closed his eyes and bowed his head to the side as he let out a choked sob. But, instead of asking her to leave, Mako shifted his weight from leaning on his arms to reaching his arms out towards her.

Korra stood in minor shock and awe at this for a beat, but quickly recovered. She rushed over to his bedside and into his arms. Mako brought his arms securely around her frame, pulling her towards him onto the bed between his legs; one draped over the edge, one still buried under the covers. Korra brought her arms around his neck and head. She held him securely to her chest.

Once she was situated in his arms, he let the dam break. He buried his head on her chest, his face in between the valley of her breasts. He_ nuzzled_ his face deeper into her cleavage, but there was nothing erotic or provocative about it. He just needed to feel her close to him; he needed her to be his strength; he needed _her_ just _there_ with him.

So many times when he and Bolin where alone on the streets, he would wake up in terror, needing to be comforted, but he never had that luxury. Often times, Bolin would sleep through his moments of terror or when Mako screamed too loudly, Bolin would wake up in terror as well, trembling and thinking they were under an attack by other bigger street urchins. Mako would need comfort_ him_ and re-assure that _everything would be alright_; trying, in vain, to convince himself as well.

Korra noticed Mako getting more and more upset as the night went on. Feeling the need to put him at ease, she bowed her head down to slowly kiss the top of his head. Then, she gently rested her right cheek on top of his dark, downy hair. She brought her hands from around his neck and threaded her fingers into his unruly hair where she began stroking his scalp. Korra noticed that this helped calm him down considerably. She started whispering sweet nothings in his ear as she rocked him back and forth; what her mother used to do for her when she was young.

He couldn't remember the last time he has been comforted, _really comforted, _in a paternal or maternal way. So when she began to say, "Shhh. Shhhh, its okay. I'm here. You're okay. Don't worry, baby. I've got you. No one's gonna hurt you. We're all safe," over and over again in his ear, it made him cry even harder.

He_ loved_ her so much. She continued to surprise him every day since he met her. She continued to remind him how _unworthy_ of her he actually was. She truly was an amazing person; an amazing_ Avatar,_ he had to remind himself. 

Korra noticed his crying increasing when she began to use words of comfort. She was about to stop for fear of offending him, but then Korra realized that Mako probably never had this kind of attention before; at least, not when he needed it most when he was eight. It broke her heart to seem him this way; reduced to nothing but tears because of night-terrors because of that one_ frightful_ day. He just needed to be held and told and shown how much he was loved, and maybe one day, the night terrors would stop for good.

As his crying finally died down, Mako pulled back to look into her eyes. He noticed how beautiful her blue eyes looked as the moon shone through the window and on to her flawless face framed by her hair lose from her usual hair beads. He couldn't help but have the urge to run his fingers through her hair, although he did not act upon it.

"Thank you," he said simply after a moment of staring at her face in awe.

Korra just grinned at him, happy that he was feeling better; happy that he was feeling better because of _her_.

"It stopped raining," she replied and smiled again.

Mako craned his neck to look out the window, still refusing to let her go, but letting her slide down his chest to sit back on her feet, making them chest to chest.

He chucked slightly, "So it has."

He smiled at her as he moved in to close the slight gap between them once more. This time, burring his head in the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent.

She allowed him to embrace her once more for a long minute before pulling him back to look at his face again. His eyes were puffy and swollen red with dark circles underneath, but despite his state of exhaustion, she still saw him as handsome as ever.

She kissed him. Tender and sweet; just letting him know that she was there, that she was his, and that nothing was ever going to change that. She wanted to pour every part of her being into the kiss, to let him know the love that she felt for him was the real deal. Just as she was the one to initiate, she was the one to break it. She stared into his honeyed eyes once more.

She was in awe of how_ raw_ he looked; so open and only to her. Korra wanted to ask about the details of his nightmare, but she knew now was not the time. She hoped that he would open up to her about it in time, however.

Just as Korra was going to open her mouth to say how late it was and that they should both try to get some sleep, Mako beat her to the punch.

"Stay with me?" he inquired sweetly with a slight smile. "If not until morning, then just until I fall asleep?"

Without a second's hesitation, she replied smiling, "Of course."

Mako smiled at her once more and stole a small kiss before letting her out of his arms and moving closer to the wall in his twin-sized bed to make room for her. Korra slid down under the covers next to him, getting situated between his arms and against his- _poorly covered,_ she noted- chest as Mako deliberately put one arm underneath her shoulder blades and pulled the covers up and over them.

When they were both settled in, Mako leaned in to kiss Korra on the forehead and whispered, "I love you, Korra. Thank you…" he trailed off, not sure how to thank her for everything she has done for him that night. "…for everything."

Korra looked up at him with wide eyes and a small smile. Had those little things she did really mean that much to him? "I love you too, Cool Guy," she replied with a grin.

Then they both settled in each other's arms for a peaceful night's sleep with smiles on their faces.

To be concluded.

~thebrightside


End file.
